Peter Steinberger, the Austrian developer behind the viral AI assistant now called OpenClaw, said on February 15, 2026 that he is joining OpenAI. Steinberger announced the move in a developer blog post and framed the decision as a way to accelerate deployment of his agent technology rather than scaling a standalone company. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the hire on X and said Steinberger will help “drive the next generation of personal agents.” OpenClaw itself will be maintained as an open-source project in a foundation with OpenAI’s support.
Key Takeaways
- Peter Steinberger announced his move to OpenAI on February 15, 2026; the post was published at 2:28 PM PST and posted widely in tech media.
- OpenClaw, the assistant formerly called Clawdbot and Moltbot, rose to viral prominence in early February 2026 for handling tasks such as calendar management and flight booking.
- Steinberger said he preferred partnering with OpenAI to scale impact, stating that building a large company was not his goal.
- OpenAI’s Sam Altman said Steinberger will “drive the next generation of personal agents,” signaling a strategic focus on agent products.
- OpenClaw will be placed into a foundation as an open-source project; OpenAI committed ongoing support for the codebase.
- Anthropic had previously challenged the original name due to similarity with its Claude assistant, prompting an early rename.
Background
OpenClaw began life under names like Clawdbot and Moltbot before settling on its current brand. The assistant gained rapid attention in February 2026 by offering end-to-end task handling—scheduling, booking and interacting with other online services—positioning itself as an “AI that actually does things.” That tagline and demonstrable task performance attracted users and scrutiny alike.
The naming history included a legal threat from Anthropic over similarity to its Claude brand, which led to at least one early rename. The project’s swift popularity also drew commentary about whether such personal agents should be governed, commercialized, or released openly—questions that factor into Steinberger’s decision to join a larger research and deployment organization.
Main Event
On February 15, 2026 Steinberger published a blog post announcing his decision to join OpenAI and explaining his rationale. He said that while he might have been able to turn OpenClaw into a standalone company, that path was not what he wanted. “It’s not really exciting for me,” he wrote, arguing that working with OpenAI would be the fastest way to put agent capabilities into wide use.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the hire on X, saying Steinberger will focus on building the next generation of personal agents inside the organization. Altman added that OpenClaw’s codebase will “live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will continue to support,” indicating a hybrid approach of institutional backing and community access.
The announcement clarifies both Steinberger’s role and OpenClaw’s status: rather than a commercial acquisition of a company, this is a talent and project integration paired with an open-source commitment. The move follows weeks in which user demonstrations and early adopters stressed OpenClaw’s capacity to complete real-world tasks, which helped make the project a focal point for debate about agent safety, utility and governance.
Analysis & Implications
Strategically, Steinberger joining OpenAI is significant on two fronts: it brings an independent creator into a platform-led environment, and it signals OpenAI’s intent to accelerate agent work by combining internal resources with community-facing code. For OpenAI, adding a lead developer with a working, popular agent prototype shortens the path from prototype to broad deployment.
Placing OpenClaw into a foundation and keeping its code open addresses some governance concerns while preserving developer access. However, the design of that foundation, its licensing terms and its governance structure will determine whether the open-source promise translates into open participation or effectively becomes a foundation-led ecosystem with central influence.
For competitors and regulators, the episode raises questions about concentration and standards. Anthropic’s earlier naming dispute underlines competitive tensions between major AI players. Regulators focused on platform concentration, interoperability and user safety will likely scrutinize how OpenClaw’s capabilities are integrated and how data flows are managed when agents act on behalf of users.
Comparison & Data
| Project | Earlier names | Notable note |
|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw | Clawdbot, Moltbot | Viral in Feb 2026 for task automation; now open-sourced into a foundation |
| Anthropic’s Claude | — | Named as a point of brand dispute early in OpenClaw’s life |
The table above summarizes name history and a key contextual detail without introducing unreported dates or speculative metrics. OpenClaw’s viral trajectory in February 2026 was driven by user demonstrations of task completion rather than a commercial launch, which informed Steinberger’s decision to join OpenAI rather than pursue a standalone company path.
Reactions & Quotes
“It’s not really exciting for me,”
Peter Steinberger, OpenClaw creator (developer blog)
Steinberger framed his move as preference for rapid impact over company-building, emphasizing distribution and reach as primary goals.
“[He will] drive the next generation of personal agents,”
Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO (X)
Altman’s brief statement signals that OpenAI intends to treat agent development as a strategic priority and to position Steinberger in a leadership role for that effort.
“AI that actually does things,”
OpenClaw community tagline
Users and early adopters popularized this description as shorthand for the assistant’s task-oriented focus; it fueled both adoption and scrutiny.
Unconfirmed
- The financial or contractual terms of Steinberger’s move to OpenAI have not been publicly disclosed.
- Specific governance arrangements and licensing details for the foundation that will host OpenClaw were not included in the announcements.
- Precise timelines for when OpenClaw features will be integrated into OpenAI services or released under the foundation were not provided.
Bottom Line
Peter Steinberger’s decision to join OpenAI converts a high-profile, independently developed agent into a project backed by a major AI platform. That shift accelerates the likelihood that agent-style assistants will reach large numbers of users quickly, while also concentrating influence over deployment choices within a major institution.
Watching the foundation’s governance documents, license terms and integration approach will be critical for assessing whether OpenClaw’s open-source promise yields broad community participation or becomes a foundation-steered extension of OpenAI’s product roadmap. Regulators, competitors and developers should monitor how data access, consent and interoperability are handled as agent capabilities move from experimentation toward mainstream use.
Sources
- TechCrunch — news report summarizing Steinberger’s blog post and OpenAI comments (media).